HANOI: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on Friday (July 21) spent about an hour visiting Hanoi Book Street, the most famous designated book area on 19/12 Street, here.

Anwar, who is on a two-day official visit to Vietnam, was accompanied by his Vietnamese counterpart, Pham Minh Chinh.

During the visit, Anwar also presented his host with two books titled SCRIPT: For A Better Malaysia and Malaysia: Blooms, Foliage and Fruits, while Chinh gifted him with a book titled Lãng du trong Văn hoá Việt Nam (Wandering through Vietnamese Culture) authored by Hữu Ngọc Anh.

Anwar’s wife Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail was in attendance.

The 200m-long Book Street was opened in 2017 and currently comprises 16 bookstores, including shops of famous publishers and book companies with local and international authors.

Apart from bookstores, the street is also beautifully designed with greenery as well as cultural space and a cafe for visitors to rest after searching for good books.

After the visit to Book Street, Anwar proceeded to join the Muslim community in Hanoi to perform Friday prayers at the Al Noor Mosque, the only mosque in the city.

The Prime Minister also spent some time interacting with the Imam and the congregants, and presented his personal donation to the mosque committee for the benefit of the Hanoi Muslim community.- Bernama